Plain Words – the Documentation and Training People

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Business English as a Second Language – Training Course Outline

Do you need to write documents in English when it is your second language? If so, then this course is for you.

When you write business correspondence or documents you can be at a disadvantage because you are writing in a foreign language. Even if you have been taught English well – or have lived in England for a long time – you may not have learned the subtleties and nuances of communicating well in a business environment. Your knowledge of punctuation and grammar rules, on the other hand, is probably better than many of your English colleagues!

This training course covers the most important rules when writing in English, but concentrates on the things that non-native writers struggle with. We also look at British versus American usage, and explore the way some usage has changed in the last few years. We will cover the kind of clichés that are common in business usage, and many of the standard phrases you may typically come across in day-to-day work.

This course will give you the skills to communicate with confidence in English and improve the perception your superiors and clients have of your abilities.

What you will learn on this training course

By the end of the course, you will know how to:

Avoid common grammatical mistakes often made by non-native speakers

Tell the difference between British and American vocabulary and spelling

Avoid commonly-confused words or miss-spelt words

Use with confidence many idiomatic phrases and constructions

What our customers say

“I found this training course very useful and it definitely helped to improve my knowledge.”

BA, Wunderman

“The course covers a lot of situations faced in a working environment.”

ML, Wunderman

“I am really happy that I had this training. I had the chance to revise many things and to learn some new ones.”

Course Contents

1. Grammar – why it matters

Pre-Course Questionnaire

When you book we send you a questionnaire which we ask you to return to us before you attend the course. This enables our Trainers to assess your needs in advance.

2. Choosing your words

Commonly confused words, including a detailed table that explains the different versions of things like wear, we’re and where

Things that make some people cross!

Getting the most out of Word™ tools

3. Everyday versus formal usage

Everyday usage changes very quickly – it can be hard to stay on top of slang

Regional variations

Formal usage can be easier to understand

4. Grammar basics – the building blocks of a sentence

Articles – when to use them and when to leave them out

Nouns, concentrating on common irregular plurals

Verbs, looking at phrasal verbs, for example the difference between set out, set in, set by and loads of others

Prepositions

Adjectives and adverbs – did you know we use adjectives in a specific order?

5. Avoiding common problems

Even native speakers make these mistakes!

6. A detailed look at verbs

English verbs have subtle changes in meaning to describe when things happen and if they are complete relative to other events. Our verb table includes lots of examples so you have a model for the most common situations you are likely to encounter.

7. Commonly used terms and expressions

Business-related usage

Frequently-encountered abbreviations

American versus British usage

8. Some hints on proofreading

It’s important to check your documents before you send them out. We look at why it’s so hard to see mistakes in your own work and how you can overcome this.